Articles | Volume 15, issue 14
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4515-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4515-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
A multi-method autonomous assessment of primary productivity and export efficiency in the springtime North Atlantic
National Oceanography Centre, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
Kristinn Guðmundsson
Marine Research Institute, P.O. Box 1390, 121 Reykjavík, Iceland
Ivona Cetinić
GESTAR/Universities Space Research Association, 7178 Columbia Gateway
Drive, Columbia, MD 21046, USA
Ocean Ecology Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Code 616,
Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Eric D'Asaro
Applied Physics Laboratory and School of Oceanography, University of
Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
Eric Rehm
Département de Biologie et Québec-Océan, Université
Laval, Québec QC G1V 0A6, Canada
Craig Lee
Applied Physics Laboratory and School of Oceanography, University of
Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
Mary Jane Perry
Darling Marine Center, School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine,
Walpole, ME 04573, USA
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We present data collected for validation of atmospheric, oceanic and terrestrial data products produced by the NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) and JAXA/ESA Earth, Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) missions. Our field campaign, called the PACE Postlaunch Airborne Experiment (PACE-PAX) was carried out in September of 2024 with two instrumented aircraft, several ocean research vessels and more. Data are free and available to the public.
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Chlorophyll is a crucial environmental variable for understanding marine biological processes, but ocean color remote sensing measurements in coastal regions can be inaccurate due to optically complex waters. This manuscript describes the creation of a standardized dataset from over 700,000 in situ chlorophyll and optical measurements in North America waters from multiple public repositories and programs. The dataset will be used for calibration and validation of a coastal chlorophyll algorithm.
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Short summary
We rigorously tested emerging methods for measuring the rate of photosynthesis in the ocean using autonomous robotic platforms. We found similar accuracy to traditional, labor-intensive, ship-based measurements across a variety of ocean conditions. Photosynthesis is the basis of nearly all life, both on land and in the ocean. Our results suggest that by scaling up existing technologies, we can greatly improve global monitoring of one of life's key processes.
We rigorously tested emerging methods for measuring the rate of photosynthesis in the ocean...
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